Rob Little

Counsel

Rob Little is Counsel to ASAR and has been with the firm since May 1997. Rob counsels in the areas of banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity, project finance, restructuring and insolvency matters. He has over 23 years of legal experience; 17 years of which are specific to Kuwait legal matters. Rob has received numerous recommendations over the years as a leading lawyer from the following publications, Chambers & Partners, International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Legal 500, Best Lawyers and Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer.
Rob also regularly contributes and authors articles on matters concerning the Kuwait legal landscape to a number of prestigious legal publications including, The Oxford Business Group, the IFLR, Global Banking and Financial Policy Law Review, Chambers Global, Getting the Deal Through, Complinet, and Corporate Law INT.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 1991.

RobLittle

2015 / 2016 Highlights

Capital Markets

Acted as Kuwait legal counsel to NBK Capital and KAMCO Investment Company (as Joint Lead Managers) on the issuance by National Bank of Kuwait of KWD 125 million Tier 2 Basel III compliant Bonds. This is the first Tier 2 bond issuance in Kuwait by a local bank in compliance which was fully compliant with the Basel III regulatory regime as adopted by the Central Bank in Kuwait.

Acted as Kuwait legal counsel to NBK Capital, KAMCO Investment Company and Gulf Bank (as Joint Lead Managers) in connection with the issuance by Burgan Bank of KWD 100 million Tier 2 Basel III compliant Bonds. This was the first bond issuance to have been successfully completed under the new Kuwait Capital Markets regime of 2015 and the new Kuwait Companies Law of 2016.

Acted as Kuwait legal counsel to HSBC bank plc, standard chartered bank, Société Générale, Emirated NBD and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (all as Dealers) in relation to the establishment of a USD 1.5 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme for Burgan Bank.

Banking and Finance

Acted as Kuwait law counsel to HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, J.P. Morgan Limited, National Bank of Kuwait S.A.K.P., the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC as initial mandated lead arrangers, and National Bank of Kuwait S.A.K.P. as agent of the other Finance Parties on a USD 6 billion loan facility for Equate Petrochemical Company K.S.C.C for, among others, its acquisition of petrochemical company ME Global from Dow Chemical.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Currently advising on the purchase of a 67% stake in a Kuwaiti listed entity.

Advised on the acquisition purchase of certain assets and transfer of employees in a sale of business transaction by Accenture from Schlumberger Business Consulting.

Restructuring and Insolvency

Currently advising Kuwait Pipe Industries and Oil Services Company, with the restructuring of its debts amounting to approximately USD 405 million.

Shipping & Maritime

ASAR acted as Kuwait law counsel to UASC on the issuance by a U.S. based trust of USD 162 million of Enhanced Maritime Trust Certificates for the acquisition by two newly incorporated special purpose vehicles 100% economically owned by UASC of two ultra-large container vessels from UASC. The above transaction was described in Marine Money International magazine’s “Structured Finance and Innovation Deal of the Year,” as “the first shipping transaction of its kind to incorporate structured finance technology by ensuring favourable legal protection, timely creditor access to the vessel collateral and a liquidity facility similar to an Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificate.”